Man, Possibly Inspired By CSI, Uses Weather Balloon To Make His Suicide Look Like A Murder, Police Say

Police believe that a Florida man who appeared to be murdered in January actually staged his suicide to look like a homicide and that he may have been inspired by an episode of "CSI."

Alan Jay Abrahamson, 71, was found shot once in his heart on Jan. 25 in a field not far from his Palm Beach Gardens home. Police found a thin line of blood on his shirt, as if a string was dragged across it, according to the Palm Beach Post. Possibly even a balloon string.

Soon, police learned that in the weeks before Abrahamson’s death, he bought two weather balloons and big tanks of helium. He apparently inquired about how much weight weather balloons could carry. Police now believe that Abramson attached a gun by string to a weather balloon so that after he shot himself, the balloon would take his weapon out to the Atlantic Ocean. They noted that a person did the very same thing in a 2003 episode of “CSI.”

“Although the theory seemed far-fetched, it was plausible, so the investigation division began doing research on weather balloons, payload capacity, burst altitudes, distances traveled, etc.," a police report said, according to the Palm Beach Post. 

Police have stated that the investigation into Abrahamson’s death is closed, as of Friday according to the Palm Beach Post. Although a motive for why he would want to stage his own murder was not disclosed, police did note that he had several life insurance policies and that he searched online to see if such policies pay if the insurance holder commits suicide. Additionally, he made large payments his life insurance account before his death, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Abrahamson was arrested last October on suspicion of a DUI and damaging property.

[Photo: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department]